


Digging For Answers, Not Love

by Mad_About_Love



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:14:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22046980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mad_About_Love/pseuds/Mad_About_Love
Summary: Dr. Roxanne Shelby, a notable archaeologist with a mysterious past, grabs Clark Kent's attention especially after seeing her strange scars. While Clark struggles with accepting his new role as a superhero, Roxanne grapples with her markings true origins and how it connects her to a certain alien. They both have to work together to stop an alien invasion from destroying life on Earth.
Relationships: Superman/OC/General Zod
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

The sun beats down on the young archaeologist. Its harsh rays relentlessly create an unbearable heat on the woman’s already warm skin. Doctor Roxanne Shelby can feel sweat beading along her brow and wipes it away with the back of her hand. Her research team has been digging in this desert for days now with no luck at all. And as the days pass by, she loses hope that they are even looking in the right place. Roxanne decides that they should take a break and strategize the next steps in their excavation. Or perhaps plan to pack up their equipment and go back to the drawing board. The doctor desperately wants the latter to be the last resort but things aren’t looking good right now.

As she drinks some water from her metal canteen, Roxanne lets the water drip down from her pink chapped lips and onto her chin, slightly cooling her hot skin. A prickling sensation races down from her neck to her chest, she can feel that someone is watching her. She looks up and locks gazes with a tall dark-haired man with an ocean in his blue eyes. He must have taken her appraising glance as an invitation to talk to Roxanne and make his way over to where she is standing in the shade. The man hesitates right before reaching within arms distance of her and she sees his Adam's apple bob nervously at her uninviting green gaze.

His right-hand fumbles to adjust his glasses and his feet shuffle side to side in the hot dirt. Eventually, he gathers enough courage to finish his journey towards the brunette. Roxanne inwardly rolls her eyes, already knowing exactly what he was after. She dreads what will doubtlessly be an unpredictable conversation, and the young doctor absolutely hates being surprised. 

"Hello ms Shelby, I am Clark Kent. I’m a reporter for the Planet, and I was wondering if I could get a quote on your opinion regarding..." While Ken drones on, Roxanne thinks of various ways to get out of the situation. It’s not looking good, she thinks with a grimace.

Shockingly, that problem solves itself with a gunshot.

Roxanne ducks low in the sand, knocking down the clueless reporter while protecting both of their bodies from any more gunfire. Her body lands flat against the giant of a man and his surprisingly toned chest for a reporter.

Urgently she whispers, "Stay here!" into his ear and starts to army crawl towards her pack on the ground. Sweat begins to rapidly dot along her brow from her quick efforts to maneuver in the hot sand. After an agonizing 15 feet of dragging her body through the sand, her hand finally brushes against her canvas pack. Just as Roxanne was about to grab one of the bag’s straps, more rapid-fire rains down on her. The bullets missing inches from her skull leaving impressionable divots next to her in the sand. The brunette throws her body tightly against the nearby rock formation, trying to gain as much coverage as possible. After a few long moments without shots being fired, Roxanne takes a deep calming breath through her nose and quietly exhales it out from her mouth. Then she takes action.

The doctor unzips the bag pulling out two machetes while sticking a few throwing knives in her empty thigh holsters. Roxanne’s hands pat down her boots to make sure her switchblades are still readily available for the fast-approaching fight. After gearing for any possible outcome, she peers over the boulder and spies four armed men wearing black face coverings. Two of the unknown men are frantically searching through her journals and research, while the remaining pair threaten the people that got stuck out in the open. Roxanne's eyes narrow and she stealthily approaches the men harassing her colleagues. ‘I can deal with the other two after taking care of the immediate threat first,’ Roxanne quietly reasons with herself.

She raises her twin machetes and confidently says, "I will give you this one chance to leave and no one will get hurt." 

The armed men crack up laughing and taunt her. “What could a single woman do to harm us,” one of the masked men sarcastically asks. She opens her mouth to respond when his partner speaks first. “Absolutely nothing.” Roxanne, while anxious for the inevitable fight, isn't worried about the outcome. She was after all taught by the best. ‘It’ll be just like the dig in Mexico, but hopefully less messy,’ the doctor positively thinks to herself. But, she blocks them out as they continue to berate her, mentally preparing herself for the fight that will inevitably ensue. The doctor’s face goes stone cold and her posture stiffens in anticipation. She is now impenetrable. Mentally and, hopefully, physically. Roxanne draws out of her trance-like state and launches herself at one of the armed men. He fires at her and she swiftly dodges the bullets with adrenaline fueling all of her agile movements. She lands three slashes on his upper body with her machetes and kicks him aside with unexpected ferocity. The other armed man looked at his bleeding partner with shock and horror.

“Want me to show you what a ‘single woman’ could do to a few sexist pigs?”

Meanwhile, Superman arrives onto the hostile scene. He sees a glint of metal and hones in on the archaeologist attacking one of the shooters. ‘She’s handling herself well for a civilian,’ the superhero muses to himself. But, he spots one of the other men that was rifling through the documents, sneaking up behind the unsuspecting woman. Before the armed man could attack her Superman throws himself into the fight and efficiently knocks out the three remaining men with ease. Clark watches the formidable woman take down the last man with a forceful kick to the family jewels.

The doctor spits out to the barely conscious and undeniably misogynistic man, “Let’s hope I just prevented you from having any children in the future. Really you should be thanking me, imagine if you had a ‘weak’ daughter.” 

Coming back to her surroundings Roxanne looks around in confusion at the unconscious shooters, and without thinking, Superman decides to reveal himself to her. The dust and sand clear allowing Roxanne to look up at the blue sky and spot a red and blue figure hovering in the air. It’s hard to miss the spandex covered hero. She vaguely recognizes the caped man as Metropolis' own superhero. Superman lowers himself to the ground and confidently approaches Roxanne. Pivoting away from his piercing gaze, the doctor helps her coworkers recover from the shock in the aftermath of the life-threatening situation. Though she’s not a trained medic, trauma was practically an old friend to her. Familiar and unwanted.

Roxanne hears a deep voice behind her say, "Ma'am are you alright?" She sighs deeply, before reluctantly turning around and comes face to face with the infamous superhero. 

Roxanne glares at him and forces her legs into a jog to find the medkit. Her head briefly peers over her shoulder and without breaking a stride, she shouts at him, "It's Doctor, and I am just peachy!"

Searching through one of the tents filled with supplies, Roxanne practically dives into her pissed off thoughts. ‘This wannabe hero swoops in to save the day like I am some damsel in distress. Well, newsflash...this isn’t medieval times!’ she seethes angrily. The doctor’s brain tingles in unease from what she notices in her quick scan of the site. Roxanne notes the very unusual nature about this attempted robbery. Nothing was stolen at all. The unsuccessful bandits seemed to only be interested in her mother's old journals, which hold nothing but gibberish rambles that teeter on the edge of insanity.

She brushes off that train of thought, not ready to go into her painful memories and focuses on trying to find Ken, the reporter she lost track of in the chaos. She diligently looks around the site and doesn't see the ocean eyed man anywhere. Roxanne feels a light tap on her shoulder and quickly whips around anticipating danger and a fight. Immediately the doctor places one of her machetes at the neck of whoever dared to catch her off guard. She glares into the eyes of a shocked journalist whose glasses are tilted and his hands high up in the air. 

Her ears can clearly hear the nervous gulp this time.

After realizing there is no real threat to her, Roxanne leisurely lowers her weapon from his throat and says, "Sorry about that Ken. I must still have some adrenaline pumping in me."  
The reporter, after a few seconds of just standing there and looking at her in disbelief, firmly says, "My name is Clark Kent, Dr Shelby." Roxanne slightly tilts her head to the side, curiously assessing Clark, and allows her lips to form a smirk. 

Her fingers gently right Clark’s glasses and her lips draw out, "The name fits. After all, you're no Ken doll." Clark flushes bright red from her observation and close proximity to his face. He can practically smell the sandalwood lotion that clings to her skin. He nervously shifts to avoid getting trapped in her glittering eyes while Roxanne closely examines the journalist for any injuries from the shooting.

After seeing no visible injuries to his person that needs medical attention, Roxanne gives Clark a devious looking smile and starts to walk away from him.  
Clark stares after her retreating figure with his eyes locked on her hypnotic hips, swaying as she stalks across the sand. 

Shaking himself out of his daze he calls after her. "Hey! I still need to ask you some questions for the article." 

Roxanne pauses her steps and lets out a joyous laugh at his desperate voice. Shaking her head somewhat fondly the doctor sarcastically shouts back, "Interview the flying demon instead, since he seems to have saved the day."

Clark sighs in frustration at the doctor's witty attitude and takes some quick pictures of the aftermath of the attack for the paper. He doesn't understand her vague and evasive nature when being questioned and makes a point to look into her more once he gets back home. Clark studies the woman he's thinking about and sees something strange poking out on her collarbone.

At first glance, one would dismiss it as a tattoo, but with his advanced vision, Clark can clearly see a scar in the shape of an unknown symbol. As his eyes focus on the symbol, he can see that it's faded, presumably, from a considerable amount of time. Curiously he wonders how she got the scar and how old she was at the time. Immediately upon seeing it, Clark feels a strange pull to Roxanne that he can’t seem to put his finger on.

Roxanne bends over while packing up her research and equipment revealing a strip of her bare back to him. Clark gets a clearer view of the various scars heavily inflicted on what he assumes is all over the expanse of her back. His eyes roam over the other uncovered parts of her body, searching for possibly more scars. Roxanne feels the sensation of eyes on her again.

Through her curtain-like hair, she can see the reporter staring intently at her body. The doctor feels a little smug, thinking that he's checking her out. But, her frame stiffens when she sees that he is directly looking at one of her many scars. Feeling angry and ashamed that he can see this ugly part of her, Roxanne pulls the back of her shirt down to cover the revealed scar. Straightening into a standing position she throws a scowl at him and at his curious eyes.

Knowing from first-hand experience on how dangerous curiosity can be her movements quicken.

Roxanne needs to get out of there fast before another person too curious for their own good tries to ruin her life and career. She finishes packing up in record time and drives to the airport ready to start a new chapter in her life. Leaving her past to be covered by dust where it will stay.


	2. Chapter 2

Brown boxes surround Roxanne’s line of sight. Why did she have to move with so much stuff that she doesn’t even need? She figures that having a lifetime of bad memories makes it hard to let go of the things that remind you of the good ones. The brunette woman sighs in annoyance when she hears her cell phone ring.

Her head swivels around looking for the device with no luck. She groans in annoyance and begins to move the boxes to find the source of the offensive sound. Roxanne victoriously grabs her phone from underneath her satchel and sees her dad’s face flashing across the screen.

She quickly slides her finger across the screen, eager to see her dad's face after weeks of distance.

“Hey, Dad, what’s up?” Her dad’s face is smiling in relief on the facetime call. Roxanne takes notice of the age in his face and his green eyes which reflect kindness and fatigue.

Roxanne’s dad practically raised her and is the only person she truly trusts anymore. Her mom...Her mom is cut out of the family picture for not taking care of her as a child when her dad was away.

One night, while her dad was away giving a lecture to a university as a guest speaker, her mom snapped. She did the unthinkable. Something that no sane mother would do to their child. She started carving up Roxanne who was only twelve at the time.

Her dad was the first one to find her. He had come home early and heard his daughter screaming for help. He rushed toward the horrifying sound and found his little girl tied up and bleeding. He looked to the shaking figure standing over Roxanne and found his wife, wielding a blood-covered knife and muttering to herself. 

He quickly knocked the knife out of his demented wife’s hands and knocked her out cold.

Her father quickly untied her hands and ankles from the coarse thick rope that constricted her. 

Red welts decorated her body with swirling symbols and glyphs. Roxanne's jade eyes watered and tears slid down her cheeks from the intense pain she was forced to endure. 

However, Roxanne was in shock and didn't acknowledge any of her surroundings. Even when the police came to get her statement she was numb to it all. 

The paramedics didn't understand how she was standing on her own after all of the trauma.

All she remembers, of what she doesn't lock away, is her mother's deranged eyes and flashing blue lights.

Her mom was put on trial and deemed mentally unstable and sentenced to life in a mental asylum. She would remain there until she was deemed in the right state of mind to return to society on parole.

Roxanne was forced to take the witness stand when she was barely out of the hospital. 

She was slowly helped to the witness stand by the Baylor and was sworn in. Covered in numerous bandages she testified against her mother. 

More specifically, Roxanne pleaded to the court to sentence her torturer to life in prison for her crimes. 

In rebuttal of the charges, her mother’s lawyers tried to emphasize their relationship as mother and daughter. 

But, in front of the entire court, she called her mother a monster and screamed that she would never be reformed enough to be welcomed back into society and her life. And, no matter how much time passes Roxanne would never willingly see her mother again.

With a sympathetic gaze, the judge ruled the verdict and asked the defendant what the whole courtroom wanted to know. “Why did you do it, to your own daughter even?”

Her mom whose head was down throughout the whole trial slowly raised her head and locked her dead eyes with Roxanne.

“He commanded it.” Her scratchy voice quietly spoke. Everyone in the courtroom felt chills run up their spine.

Despite not knowing who “He” was, Roxanne painfully marched up to her chained mother and shouted in her face, “Well I hope it was worth it scarring up your daughter and losing your life, family, sanity, and career all for someone who doesn’t even exist!”

The Baylor started to restrain Roxanne, but she still heard what her mother whispered back. “He’s coming for you.”

Roxanne limbs froze up. With fire burning holes into her mother’s face, she spits back at her, “I’ll be ready for 'Him' then. I’m stronger than you'll ever be.”

That was the last time she ever saw her mother other than in her occasional nightmares.

After that day, her dad always looked after her. And, even years later he still checks up on her. Roxanne pulls out of her painful memories and hears her father say someone visited Evelyn.

Evelyn was her mother but Roxanne calls her by her first name ever since the incident. “How did you find out? Do you know who it is?”

Roxanne starts to feel anxious and fearful that people were trying to look into her past. Digging for things she buried deep long ago.

"One of the nurses on your mother's rotation noticed a name on the sign-in sheet under your mother's name." Roxanne searches her father's eyes for an idea about what he's thinking and finds sadness in his irises. 

It makes her feel somewhat guilty to know that her dad never got over her mom. Even after all these years separated he still loves her. And, even though it's not her fault, she knows that she is the reason for his unhappiness.

"The handwriting wasn't clear enough to be read. But, some of the other nurses on that shift said he claimed to be a reporter and had some questions." Roxanne is steaming on the inside. Her mind is churning with violent intent towards this whole situation.

"Don't worry Dad, I think I have an idea of who this curious reporter is. I'll take care of it." Roxanne's smile is tight and her father can see a subtle twitch in her jaw.

"Alright, just be careful." Her dad gives her a serious look and doesn't smile until she agrees.

"Thanks for the heads up, Dad. Talk to you later." She hung up and angrily kicks some of the boxes littering the floor.

She huffs in frustration and storms into her cluttered but new bedroom. As Roxanne is doing her nightly routine, she plots what her move would be the for the next day.

What if he knows? 

She looks at herself in the mirror and sees one of the only places on her body without any scarring patterns. Her chest and neck start to tingle and Roxanne, feeling uneasy, heads to bed. 

She’s ready to go to war tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Roxanne’s red-bottomed heels clack against the concrete sidewalk as she struts towards the Daily Planet. She dressed for battle this morning and does not intend to lose. 

As she enters the skyscraper’s lobby, people stop and stare after the power walking female. Roxanne paid them no mind as she presses the elevator button, impatiently tapping her foot against the marble flooring. 

She hears a ding and slowly gets on the elevator, alone. As the doors are about to shut a brown shoe holds them back open. Roxanne sees a man around her age jump in the elevator juggling multiple cartons full of coffee. Deciding to take pity on the clearly stressed-out man, she takes one of the trays from his hands. Smiling she says, “Since we’re going to the same place, I think I can help you out.” The man runs his now free hand through his blond hair and finally makes eye contact with Roxanne. She can hear his slight gasp at her appearance and smirks. But, his eyes hold recognition as he asks, “Do we know each other? You seem very familiar.”

Roxanne’s nerves raise a little thinking he recognizes her as the kid who was mutilated by her mother. The story was plastered all over the news for weeks after the incident. But, the man snaps his fingers. “You’re Roxanne Shelby! It’s me...Brian Anderson!” Roxanne sighs in relief and smiles even wider. “Oh my God! How many years has it been? How are you?” she exclaims. He bashfully shrugs under her attention and says, “Haven’t seen you since we were in the 7th grade. And I’ve been better as you can tell.”

The doors to the elevator open on their floor just as they begin laughing at his current predicament. All of the other workers turn towards the loud noise curiously but eventually go back to work. All except one secret superhero. His eyes follow her as she enthusiastically talks to the new guy. Clark stiffens as she puts a hand casually on the man’s arm. He is confused when he feels jealousy swirl in him. He barely even knows the archaeologist.

Clark watches Roxanne head towards Perry’s office. She struts in without a care in the world and boldly sits down. He can see Perry about to yell at whoever decided to enter his office unannounced. But, as he looks up, Clark sees his expression shift into joy and a smile stretch across his face. 

As Clark was studying Perry and Roxanne’s encounter, Lois stumbles into her desk area and clumsily puts her things away. Usually, Clark would have made an attempt to get Lois’ attention but strangely he had no desire to even start a conversation with the redhead.

Before he can think further on this sudden change, he hears Perry yell out, “Lane get your butt in here!” Lois practically runs into the office to shake Roxanne’s hand and he assumes, introduces herself. The more this situation plays itself out, the more curious Clark becomes with Roxanne and who she is.

Meanwhile, Roxanne is catching up with her godfather after not seeing him for a couple of months. She is at ease in his presence as they reminisce about her high school and college years in which he helped in watching out for her. Roxanne smiles slyly as her godfather starts to complain about his workers. “They just don’t make reporters like they used to. Back in my day, you had to dig through dirt to even find a lead. And now, they sit at their desks and google everything!” he huffs out in exasperation. Roxanne immediately starts to die laughing after his rant and wipes tears from her eyes. “They all can’t be that bad, Uncle Perry,” she says sympathetically. Perry just grumbles lowly in response and yells for a ‘Lane’ to come into his office.

A red-headed woman quickly shuffles in with a devious and eager look in her eyes. She holds out a hand and says, “Hi, I am Lois Lane. The reporter looking to write your story.” Roxanne gracefully takes the reporters hand and firmly shakes it, startling the fragile woman. She leans back in her chair and playfully states, “Well, I can’t have just any reporter writing about my life. Tell me about yourself.” Lois expertly lists off all of her awards and achievements since college, and Roxanne’s smile smoothes out into a thin line. As Lois waits for her response, holding her breath in anticipation, Roxanne shares a knowing look with Perry.

“While your portfolio is impressive Ms. Lane. It isn’t exactly what I am looking for.” she gently tells the ambitious reporter. Lois’ face falls into a placid smile but, Roxanne can see the burning flames in her eyes. “I understand, and I hope you find someone who can write your story,” Lois says with a subtle but biting tone. Roxanne tightly smiles at her and she storms out of the room looking downright murderous. Perry thinks for a moment trying to figure out who could best write about his goddaughter’s life, not an easy role to fill. He suddenly shouts out, “Kent, front and center!” 

Clark stumbles out of his seat and walks to Perry’s office as commanded. Passing by a fuming Lois he attempts to meet her eyes but she keeps them ahead, ignoring him in favor of nursing her torn pride. Clark politely knocks on the glass door and Perry raises an eyebrow and sighs in annoyance. “Kent! You don’t need to knock the door is glass.” Perry deadpans while rolling his eyes. Roxanne giggles lightly and Clark’s ears start to burn red from embarrassment. “Your new assignment is to write an exclusive interview piece on Dr. Shelby’s life and achievements. You two have already met each other so it should be a good match.” Clark is stunned. Usually, all of the high profile interviews land in Lois’ hands. He starts to stammer, “Sir while I am honored, are you sure I am qualified? I mean there are plenty…” Perry, sensing his employee’s inner doubt, asks Roxanne to refill his coffee. She gives a sly smile at his request and exits the room intending to give the two a chance to talk. 

“Kent, what is this really about? You’re a good reporter and I can tell you actually care about the people behind the story, which not a lot of reporters can say.” Clark is surprised by the compliment, coming from a boss who rarely praises anyone. “Thank you, sir. I don’t know how I feel about this story and if I can give it justice.” Clark’s eyes subconsciously move towards Roxanne who is chatting with another coworker while filling up Perry’s coffee mug. A smile slowly starts to form his lips as he looks at her laughing at presumably a joke. Her eyes close in bliss and her chest shakes from joy. Perry doesn’t miss this look and uses a protective tone when saying, “The story is yours Clark, but if you hurt my goddaughter I will make your life a living hell. Do we understand each other?” Clark shifts his gaze to Perry’s serious face and nods with an affirmative, “Yes sir.”

Perry, satisfied with Clark’s answer says, “Good, now get out of my office.” Clark quickly exits the office and starts to walk towards Roxanne, who is now talking to the new guy, again. He starts to feel angry that this shrimp of a man thinks he has a chance with Roxanne. No one born on this Earth is worthy of her perfection or affection. Clark jolts and stops his steps at the thought, what does that even mean? Shaking off the strange track his thoughts are taking he turns towards Roxanne.

“Sorry to interrupt. But, I was wondering if you had a chance to chat Dr. Shelby?” Clark says in a strained tone. The new guy, Brian, starts to open his mouth in response when Roxanne interrupts him saying, “Of course. Let’s go talk in the conference room.” She begins to walk in the direction of the conference room and Clark turns to follow when he sees Brian’s eyes tracing her body. Clark angrily bumps shoulders with the distracted man who would dare to look at Roxanne in that way. He hears the man stumble from the impact and smiles widely in satisfaction. Roxanne looks back in confusion at the sound and Clark quickly tries to hide his smile but, she catches it anyway.

Once entering the room, Roxanne takes a seat at the head of the long wooden table and gazes out the many windows lining the room. After sitting himself down, Clark clears his throat to get her attention and she whips her head back locking her intense gaze onto him. She stands up and starts to slowly walk to Clark, never breaking eye contact. “Let’s make one thing clear here Ken.” She sits down on the edge of the table inches away from him, giving her a position of authority. “Whatever interests you about me, you need to drop it. Stop digging for answers. Stay away from my mother and me. You will not like what you find. It is not a good story, it’s just sad. Much like myself.” After finishing her spiel, Clark looks into her eyes and sees pain swirling throughout them. 

“Whatever you’re afraid of, I can help you.” She scoffs at his words and starts to stand up. Intending to leave she gasps when she suddenly feels a hand gently wrap around her wrist. But, she doesn’t dare turn around. Roxanne feels a warm presence against her back and his soft voice whispers in her ear, “I can guarantee no one else on this planet knows the answers you’re searching for. And it’s Clark Kent, but you already know that. ” She slightly shivers before turning around to look at Clark with a dazed expression on her face. 

But, Roxanne soon comes out of her trance and says, “I’ll say it one more time in case your ears became temporarily deaf for a second. Stay out of my life and business. I swear if you don’t I’ll slap you with so many lawsuits you won’t be able to leave your house.” She smiles wickedly and casually fixes his tie, “you wouldn’t want that. Would you Kenny?” Clark is too dazed to answer or even correct her on his name again. Not liking his silence she grabs the end of his tie and pulls him level to her own face. “Right,” she demands tightly. 

He’s not paying attention to what she is saying though, he is a little distracted by her luscious red lips. Without realizing his actions, Clark starts to lean in towards Roxanne’s face. Before he can initiate a kiss she pats his face lightly and whips around on her high heels and walks away from him. It took every bit of self-control that Clark had not to snatch her back into his arms and kiss her. 

He watches her walk towards the elevators and feels a sense of emptiness. Why does it feel like they are connected? He wasn’t lying when he said that he was the only one that could help her. He just wishes she would allow him to help her. What he saw in the asylum was not a coincidence and it concerns him. 

When he visited Roxanne’s mom he didn’t know what to expect. What he saw shocked him down to his core. It wasn’t the indecipherable symbols drawn, covering the entirety of the cell walls that shocked him. Not even the woman on the bed mumbling to herself threw him for a loop. It was his own Kryptonian family seal, next to an unknown but very similar symbol. Clark felt alarmed but took some pictures of the writings and got out of their as quick as possible.

One thing Clark knows for sure, he and Roxanne were linked. And, he is going to find out why. Whatever it takes.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Roxanne relaxes in her favorite place to unwind to prepare herself for a long day of work. A local coffee shop. It is a quaint French-style café she found when she moved to Metropolis. The interior, food, and overall atmosphere reminded her of her undergrad years studying abroad and of the brief time she lived in Paris. Roxanne enjoys drinking her café au lait while sketching one of her more recent dreams. Her demeanor is calm and sharply contrasts the object of the drawing, her mother’s manic face from when she stood trial in court. She stares at the woman who is still in her nightmares after all this time. Roxanne has come to expect her past to follow her for the rest of her life. 

As she finishes the minute details on the image she hears someone clear their throat. Her green eyes flash up and see the bashful face of Clark Kent. He shuffles his feet awkwardly as she stares at him with a bored expression upon her face. But he seems unaffected by her emotionless face and shyly smiles at her. Roxanne brings her coffee mug to her lips and takes a long and calming sip readying herself for what she assumes will be an agonizing conversation.

She sarcastically smiles and says, “Hello Ken! Is there a reason you are following me on this beautiful morning?” Clark blanches after hearing her blunt words and steels his resolve like any good reporter would do. “No ma’am, I just wanted some coffee before going to work this morning and I thought I would join you.” He smiles charmingly and teasingly says, “My name is still Kent.” Roxanne considers his request and reluctantly offers him the seat across from her. She is leaving in a few minutes anyway. He slowly drinks his coffee while looking around the shop with a keen observation. His eyes land on her sketch and she quickly shuts the journal before he can see anything else. Clark looks at her with questions swirling in his eyes but he pushes it aside. “I just want to offer my help one last time. I know you don’t trust me but, I have no ulterior motives.” Roxanne’s eyebrow raises in a challenge and she spits out, “really, then why are you stalking me! Don’t insult my intelligence saying you’re on your way to work. The Daily Planet is 45 minutes from here you would be an hour late.” Clark looks sheepish as he once again claims to just want to help her find answers.

Roxanne scoffs and says, “all you’re after is a story, like every other reporter who wants to make it big. And you wonder why I turned down that pushy redhead.” He looks at her sadly and quietly murmurs, “some people are worth more than a story.” He starts to get up and places his plain business card on the table. “I’ve bothered you enough. Call me if you change your mind. Have a nice day.” Clark quirks his mouth into a small smile and puts on his coat before walking out the door. 

She haphazardly pockets the card and gets up to leave for the museum. She can’t stop thinking about what Clark said about her being more than a story to him. She’s unfocused the entire day as she attempts to work. Roxanne knows she needs help in uncovering her torturous past but she always thought she would be alone in that venture. How can he expect her to trust someone she barely knows? She sighs in annoyance. Roxanne knows she could use all the help she could get. And, after 2 years of looking by herself and getting no results, maybe a little help couldn’t hurt?

Before leaving her office, she reaches into her coat and pulls out her one chance at having the answers she’s avoided all these years. Her Hail Mary and get out of jail free card all wrapped up into one phone number. Roxanne dials the numbers listed on the business card and holds her cell phone up to her ear. Before she can doubt her decision and hang up she hears an exhausted voice say, “hello?” She freezes in place for a moment before saying, “Ok, let’s get started.” Clark chuckles on the other end of the line. They make plans to meet at the same café tomorrow and Roxanne hangs up with a bad feeling. She sighs and thinks to herself, “please don't make me regret trusting you, Clark? I can't do this alone anymore.” 

Whatever comes from this unlikely friendship….Nope…..partnership will change her life forever. Unfortunately, she remains oblivious to the consequences that are coming their way. 

Meanwhile, in the outskirts of the galaxy in the phantom zone, the once banished and imprisoned Kryptonians are freed from their induced comas. Only one of the Kryptonian men is not as disoriented or confused about the chain of events that happened after their imprisonment. His eyes burn with determination when he sees a transmission from a scouting ship that was left on the planet Earth thousands of years ago. So that was where Jor-El hid his son and the codex.

“Set a course for Earth.”


	5. Chapter 5

Clark walks into one of the few art museums in Metro City and gapes in awe at his surroundings. He spies kids on school field trips and what he assumes are regulars who admire and study the art. He hasn’t had the time with both of his day and night jobs as a reporter and a superhero to visit this highly regarded art capital of the Midwest. But, looking around he wishes he had made some time. Clark approaches the receptionist and is immediately directed to an in-progress exhibit that is off-limits to the public. Feeling a little wary, he takes the offered access badge and slowly makes his way to the back of the building. 

The entrance is blocked by a stern security guard but, one glance at his museum certified access lanyard and he reluctantly steps aside. Clark walks into the mostly empty exhibit except for a few miscellaneous pieces strewn about the room. Before he could examine his surroundings any further he hears heels clicking against the marble flooring and Roxanne emerges into the room. She is not alone but is practically swarmed by people scribbling down notes and hanging on to her every word. The group struggles to keep up with her power walk and practically sprint to match her long strides.

She stops talking when her eyes land on the various artworks littering the floor of the room. He hears her take a deep breath through her nostrils. Her pink lips part into a frown when she says, “Can we please get these works categorized and into our system but, most importantly, off the floor and out of the sunlight.” The swarm’s pens freeze and they scramble off to do her bidding. Clark watches Roxanne roll her eyes at their antics and pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration. She turns towards his direction and sees him standing there studying her with what she assumes is amusement at her situation. 

“Good, you got my voicemail. I was starting to think you had some other commitment.” He opens his mouth to say something when she cut off his response by commanding him to follow her. Before she forgot she turns toward the entrance where the security guard was standing and says, “Hank you’re in charge of them.” Clark notices the stern man smile and salute her order before eyeing the scrambling assistants. Clark immediately trails after her strutting figure and takes the time to examine her. He picks up on her stress by looking at her tense shoulders and furrowed brow, most likely from ordering around incompetent people. 

He follows her into a spacious office that holds various bookshelves filled with artifacts and well...books. Papers and sticky notes are stuck on every surface in the room with various ideas, names, and pictures. Clark turns to ask Roxanne a question when he finds her sitting behind her desk waiting for him to sit down with a bored expression on her face. He blushes and sheepishly plops down in the uncomfortable chair. Satisfied that he was finally listening to her she pulls out thick files and folders filled with papers and stuffed to the point of almost breaking. Seeing the questions in his blue eyes Roxanne explains. “This is all of the information I have on my situation. But, almost none of it is concrete. It’s only theories or folklore that I have combed through extensively for the last 5 years. I don’t know if we can use any of it but it’s what I got…” Even though she sounds confident when beginning her explanation, Clark can tell she is starting to feel nervous at the end and stops her before she starts to ramble on. 

He gently suggests, “why don’t you first tell me what happened so I can be able to help you better?” Roxanne bit her lip nervously and sighs before slightly nodding in agreement. She jerkily gets up from her chair and moves towards the small sofa in the corner of the office while grabbing a thick journal before sitting down on its cushions. She gestures for him to sit next to her and he settles down next to her curiously eyeing the journal in her hands. Roxanne can’t look him in the eyes as she begins to tell the story of the worst time of her life. “This is off the record and my father and Uncle Perry have worked hard to let me have my privacy after what happened.” She pauses and takes a deep calming breath, hoping to not relive this part of her life. 

“My mother was always a little off. But her mental health was never expected to get to the point that it got before she was court-ordered to remain in an insane asylum. One night while my dad was away for work she drugged me, dragged me into our basement, and tied me down to a table. I was lucky for the first few hours that I was unconscious because when I woke up I saw a woman that couldn’t be my mother. She was in the middle of a conversation with either herself or one of the many voices in her diseased mind. I could hear her deciding what part of my body “needed” to be cut next.” Tears fell from Roxanne’s watery eyes and she wipes them away berating herself for letting this moment….no her mother… still have power over her after all these years. 

Not wanting to explain anything else about that night in more detail she hands Clark the old journal. “This is what my therapist suggested I make to help process what happened to me. And it was supposed to help reveal what my mind was protecting me from remembering. What I still can’t remember.” He flips through the pages containing crime-scene pictures, the court transcripts, and her mother’s mugshot before softly closing the book. Clark doesn’t know what to say. Roxanne has obviously been through a lot and he can tell that some things are still difficult for her to talk about. “No words can say how sorry I am that you had to go through this alone. I’ll help you in any way I can.” She gives him a small smile at hearing his kind and truthful words. 

“It says in these documents, that your mother cut multiple symbols all over your body.” Roxanne nods at his statement. She huffs before saying, “I have no idea what they mean if they mean anything at all. All the symbols scarred on my body match the symbols I found in my mother’s old journals. But everything that is written about the symbols is gibberish or an ancient unknown language. But my research hasn’t found where this dialect originates from.” 

Clark hesitates before asking her an uncomfortable request. “Could I see them?” Roxanne doesn’t feel shocked by his shy suggestion. She knew when she signed up for this that she would have to show him her scars eventually, but it still makes her feel self-conscious. She stands up slowly and tells herself that they are just scars and that no one else can ever hurt her anymore. She peels off her tan blazer revealing her v neck emerald green tank top for Clark to see. Clark’s eyes take in the white intricate patterns decorating her hands, arms, and back. He can only imagine what she’s been through. Roxanne feels shameful and fidgets under his attentive gaze, longing to hide her body and past from him. Clark notices her self loathing and reassures her, “Hey, look at me.” She slowly connects her green eyes with his kind and gentle blue orbs. He takes her hands in his and says, “You have nothing to be ashamed about. You suffered a traumatic experience from the hands of someone you trusted. And you came out of that more beautiful and stronger than ever. Don’t ever hide who you are, especially not from me.” Clark freezes in place after actually hearing his own words. He mentally yells at himself for saying that since he basically just met her. Clark has no idea what's going on and why he suddenly feels protective in regards to Roxanne. And, for the first time since meeting the confident doctor, Clark sees her cheeks flush a light pink at his words. 

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Clark picks up one of the journals her mother owned and compares the symbols on Roxanne’s body to the ones drawn in the book. He sighs, they were virtually identical. The reporter took a closer look at the writings surrounding the symbols and thinks that they look vaguely familiar like he had seen them before. Something catches his eye before can he ponder that thought any further. “Do you know why your neck and chest aren’t covered in scars like the rest of your body?” Roxanne looks up from her phone and shrugs her shoulders and says spitefully, “I assume my dear mother never got the chance to finish her work before my dad found me.” Clark hums lightly before walking behind Roxanne to look at the markings covering the expanse of her back. He zones out for a second and comes to only to find his hand touching one of the more intricate scars on her back. 

It’s glowing gold. Clark quickly checks to see if Roxanne notices what was happening and saw her playing Candy Crush on her phone. He briefly rolls his eyes heavenward, thankful that she is distracted for now. He removes his hand from her soft skin and the gold glow fades back into the normal white color of the scar. He touches her scar again and the same result happens. Thinking maybe it was just that one symbol he touches another scar located on her back. The familiar gold glow appears underneath his fingertips. Clark is confused. What does this even mean? As he thinks of possible explanations he doesn’t pay attention to the fact that the golden glow was spreading all across her back and illuminating all her scars there. He starts to feel more in tune with Roxanne’s emotions and desires. He even begins to see images from Roxanne’s thoughts. He can sense her resentment towards her mother and the slight betrayal she feels from her mother’s actions. Clark sees all of the dates she has been on and can feel her longing to be in a relationship with someone she trusts after being lied to for so long by an ex. Clark has the sudden thought that he can be the person Roxanne can finally be herself with. That he is what she needs and has been waiting for. Anyone can see she’s beautiful and smart with a devious smile always on her lips. Her lips that are so plump and kissable when she bits down on her bottom lip. “What is happening to me!?”, Clark thinks to himself when coming out of his foggy mind. 

Clark suddenly rips his hand from Roxanne’s back and the scars fade back to white. He is breathing heavily and inwardly panicking at his new discovery. He doesn’t understand why this is happening or why they seem to be connected. Roxanne hears Clark’s sudden heavy breathing and looks up from her phone after she finishes her level. “Hey, are you ok?” She turns around concerned when she doesn’t hear an answer and finds herself alone in her office. “What? She didn’t even hear him leave? Maybe he had an emergency and I was too damned focused on Candy Crush to pay attention.” She groans at her thoughts and opens the message app on her phone. She types a quick text to the reporter before sending it. 

She puts her phone in her purse and absentmindedly scratches at the prickling sensation running along at her back before tugging on her blazer and leaving for the night.

Meanwhile, Clark’s phone vibrates on the seat in the cab of the truck. He looks at the screen and reads a text from Roxanne asking if he was ok. The dark-haired man sighs and continues driving while passing a sign that says “Welcome to Smallville!” He hopes he’ll find some much-needed answers here for himself and Roxanne. After all, home is where the heart is.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thank you all so much for understanding me not updating recently, my semester is officially over so I think I'll have more time to update. I am taking a summer course but I don't think it'll be an issue. Again thank you for the views and very special thank you to everyone who has been reading this story. I have a few chapters planned ahead and they are a little juicy ;)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own any properties of any of the DC Universe characters, movies, or plot lines. I do own my character, Roxanne Shelby and any other characters or plot changes I add to this story.

Clark wakes up to the morning sun streaming through his window and obnoxiously shining on his face. He rolls over and faceplants into his pillow to shield his face. He groans because he forgot to shut his curtains last night. Clark slowly places his feet to the floor and stands up groggily. His back cracks loudly in protest after sleeping the night in his now too small childhood bed. His ears pick up the noise of his mother downstairs messing around in the kitchen, clattering pans and slamming cabinet doors. Clark’s chapped lips quirk into a soft smile as he pictures the memories that come to mind from those familiar sounds. 

After eating a hearty breakfast filled with an almost endless amount of scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausages, and pancakes. Clark quickly gets up from the wooden table, his chair squeaking against the kitchen floors from the movement. He dodges his mother’s questions and quickly heads out of the house to start his old daily chores. Truthfully, he’s not ready to answer his mother’s obvious questions about his sudden return to the farm. Clark doesn’t even know the answer himself, and just saying that he was ‘homesick’ will only keep her at bay for so long. 

Cutting off the engine of the tractor Clark is driving he climbs down from the seat and walks through the cornfield. He doesn’t take a break because he is tired, but because he’s desperately trying to distract his thoughts from the underlying reason he is there. Roxanne. The secret superhero sighs in irritation at himself. He hasn’t even known her that long, so why is she all he can think about. Clark hopelessly tries to reassure himself thinking maybe this is just a small crush. But deep down, he knows the difference. It can’t be love.. that he knows for certain. But, Clark can’t deny that she definitely has a hold on him. When he’s not near her, it almost feels like something is missing at that moment. Clark’s brows furrow in annoyance at the direction his thoughts are turning. Lately, everything leads back to Roxanne and he hasn’t decided if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

He strongly stands by his claim to not be in love with her but, what happened yesterday? It was like a hazy dream that you slowly start to forget the harder you try to think about it. The man can’t deny he’s attracted to the feisty brunette. Though that doesn’t explain his out of character actions the other day in her office. What Clark does recall from that night is a little alarming by conventional standards. 

After all, he was seconds away from kissing her… AGAIN. It felt more instinctual this time. It was like his body was just a few steps ahead of his brain. Usually, Clark is in total control of his actions. As presumably the only alien on Earth, he always has to be in check. But, something was different and Clark just can’t figure out what. And, until he does, he won’t be going near the archaeologist any time soon. For her safety and his own sanity. 

Coming out of his headspace Clark finds himself standing in the middle of his family’s old barn. Curious as to why his subconscious would lead him to a barn now used for storage, his eyes dart around the space trying to find anything out of place. 

Nothing alarming catches his attention and Clark’s stiff shoulders slightly sag in relief, the tension leaving his body. Turning around to get back to work his head bumps against a rope hanging down from one of the ceilings beams. 

Without a thought or feeling of hesitation, Clark grabs the coarse rope and firmly pulls it. Triggering a lever that opens up the barn’s storage cellar doors. It reveals one of the only things left that tie him to his alien heritage, the ship he came to Earth in as an infant. He can still remember when his dad first showed him the spacecraft. How all he wanted was to be normal and not have to hide his gifts. But that was a long time ago. 

He walks toward the workbench his father had set up when Clark first arrived into his family’s lives. Clark flips through his father’s journals just studying the scribbles and thoughts that are etched on the slightly yellowed pages. But, one page’s design made Clark’s brain prickle and itch the longer he focuses on it.

Clark looks away and rubs at his eyes before reading his father’s notes surrounding the somewhat familiar symbols. He realizes that they were theories on what they could possibly mean or represent. Alphabet? Creed? Code? But the last word his father wrote is heavily circled and successfully grabs Clark’s attention. Tablet. His mind spins rapidly trying to figure out what that could mean. Was something else besides the key placed in the ship with him as he escaped Krypton? What Clark knew for certain is that he needs to find this tablet.

Quickly, Clark opens the ship and searches any and all compartments he can find within the craft. Coming up empty-handed he thinks that his father must have hidden it somewhere else. He determinedly heads back towards the workbench and looks for anything that could classify as a tablet. After a few minutes with no luck, Clark slumps down to the floor and leans his body up against the desk and closes his eyes in frustration. 

Tilting his head back to rest against the wood and breathing deeply through his nose he tries to calm his emotions. Clark thinks that maybe it’s for the best if he doesn’t know what is on the tablet. His father probably had his reasons for keeping this from him. After a few moments of breathing and feeling his emotions steady, Clark slowly opens his eyelids. Sharp blue eyes focus on the underside of his father’s desk. Taped to the wood is an envelope with ‘Clark” written on it. Clark grabs the envelope and rips open the seal. His hand shakes as he pulls out the letter inside and starts to read its contents. 

Clark,  
I’m sure if you’re reading this right now I’m either dead or I finally decided to come clean to you about what I’ve been hiding from you all these years. When you first landed and we were scared the government would come knocking on our door, your mother insisted we cover everything up about how you came here. Of course, that meant hiding the ship you came in. After hauling it in the barn’s cellar it stayed there collecting dust for weeks, and we almost could pretend that it never happened. But when you started showing signs of breathing problems and other abilities I decided to dig a little into where you came from. I tinkered with the ship for a few days before finally figuring out how to open it. Inside was unbelievable technology and a weirdly shaped shard that I showed you made up of an unknown element to Earth. But I also found a black stone tablet carved with multiple complex symbols. I still don’t know what it is but I didn’t want you to stress over its contents. Maybe I am also afraid you will understand it and discover the reason you came to Earth. I don’t know. Anyway enough of my yammering, I buried the tablet right underneath the tire swing you used to play on as a kid. My only advice to you son is to not let this consume you. No matter where you came from or what led to you coming here, you are still my son and that will never change. Happy digging!

~ Dad

Clark rereads the letter a few times before the information from it fully sinks in. He’s shocked but eager to see another part of his planet. But he’s confused, Jor-El never mentioned a tablet when he talked to his hologram in the arctic circle. Getting to his feet Clark grasps the wooden handle of a shovel and practically runs to the tree where his father tied a tire to for Clark to play on. 

He stabs at the dirt and starts to dig directly underneath the tire. After about 20 minutes of shovelling out dirt to a growing pile off to the side, his spade clanks against something hard. Leaning the shovel against the rough bark of the tree’s trunk, Clark drops to his knees and reaches into the very sizable hole for what he’s looking for. 

His hand brushes against an object bigger than an average-sized rock and he pulls it out. Brushing off some of the dirt clinging to it Clark can now see it’s a canvas drawstring bag, or that’s what it used to be. Opening the dirt-stained bag Clark grabs the object inside revealing it to the open air for the first time in decades. 

Taking a closer look he notices that it isn’t very large or heavy but notices the stone has a durable quality to it. The stone is black in nature and is very smooth to the touch. Clark has a hard time believing that this was handmade. He flips the tablet over and carvings litter the other side, barely showing any smoothness that he notices on the back. Immediately, Clark observes that there are dozens more symbols on this tablet than what is written in his father’s journal. 

His mind begins to feel that itch that he felt from before, but instead of looking away Clark focuses harder on the symbols inscribed on the black tablet. After a few more seconds Clark is ready to give up but then, he begins to understand what they mean. The sensation is hard to explain but he would describe it as putting on glasses for the first time. Suddenly, everything just makes sense. 

But Clark almost wishes he never laid eyes on this tablet. It describes an abandoned tradition on Krypton that was outlawed because of its violent and barbaric nature towards the female population. That before the people of Krypton developed the technological advancements to genetically engineer children, a ritual was performed to enhance fertility and create a mating bond between couples. In alarming detail, it explains how the female is scarred with symbols of submission and fertility all over their body. And to seal this claim, the male must carve his house’s symbol on her chest and bite her neck to show possession and ownership of his property. 

Clark is horrified at what he is reading and his breathing picks up as his brain starts to connect the dots. But still, he continues. He reads that in rare cases if the ceremony is interrupted before the final seal and bite were executed that the female could be claimed by another. It warns that if the marks remain unfinished the female's body will produce pheromones to entice the Kryptonian people to mate with them at whatever cost and complete the ritual.

Finally, at the end of the tablet is a note from his parents. They explain that since no more fertile Kryptonian females exist, he’ll have to perform this ritual on a human to ensure the line of Krypton continues. 

Clark is absolutely and without a doubt freaking out right now. How is this even possible he thinks to himself. How is he supposed to do that to a woman he cares for. And abruptly all of the puzzle pieces fit into place. Roxanne. Her mysterious scars inflicted by her mother. How they glow from his touch. His undeniable attraction to her. It all makes sense now. The real question is how her mother came to know these symbols if she knew their true meaning. 

Putting a pin in that, for now, he thinks about more pressing issues. Clark can’t help but wonder if he is truly attracted to Roxanne or if it was all alien pheromones? Before he can ponder that thought anymore he comes to the realization that he has to tell Roxanne. It’s not like he can keep this information from her, it wouldn’t be fair to offer her his help and then to lie. That means she’ll know his other identity but he can’t keep this a secret, especially since it involves her.

Making up his mind, Clark tucks the slim tablet underneath his arm and walks toward the house to make a call. As he places a foot on the porch steps he hears his mother shout his name fearfully. Racing into the house he sees his mother standing in front of their TV focusing intently on the screen. 

It shows a static-filled image with a moving form saying how they came from a world far away.  
Meanwhile, Roxanne is at her favorite coffee shop sketching lazily at a table when her phone starts to glitch. Her phone’s screen is overtaken by static, like old TVs would sometimes get if the antenna was off. It starts to form the words ‘YOU ARE NOT ALONE’ on repeat. Feeling a little alarmed Roxanne’s eyes dart around the café and sees that it’s not just her phone doing this and everyone seems to be equally nervous.

The words stop appearing on the screen and a figure begins speaking. Roxanne feels dread and chills as she listens to this alien speak. He claims to be a general named Zod who is looking for someone on earth who is like them and to hand them over. ‘Wow,’ Roxanne thinks, ‘I wouldn’t want to be this guy right now.’ 

Her hand barely shakes as she finishes the rest of her latte. But the message isn’t over yet apparently. Because as an afterthought, Zod states, “if you don’t surrender to me, Roxanne Shelby, as well, you all will regret it.” Roxanne immediately freezes, she’s in a state of shock and looks paranoidly around the coffee shop. Steeling herself, she stiffly stands up from her table and calmly walks out. Roxanne starts to briskly walk home while trying to figure out her options. 

As she turns on the street to her apartment building, her phone starts to buzz in her hand. Quickly facing the screen towards her she can see Clark’s name as the caller. Without pause, the archaeologist clicks the green button and holds the phone up to her ear while still walking to her apartment. 

The way she is walking right now, she could give mom walkers a run for their money. Roxanne snorts out loud at her thoughts. But before she could speak into her phone, multiple black Escalades screech to a halt in front of her. She freezes in terror and can faintly hear Clark’s panicked voice on the other end calling her name.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Okay so I got a little excited and decided to update with another chapter! To be honest you might be seeing a few more in the next few days because I'm getting back into this story I have going. Thank you again for reading this!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any properties of any of the DC Universe characters, movies, or plot lines. I do own my character, Roxanne Shelby and any other characters or plot changes I add to this story

Multiple men in suits and camo uniforms exit the SUVs surrounding her. No doubt they are armed, the doctor thinks to herself. Roxanne doesn’t even have time to respond to Clark as she hangs up on him to assess her options. “Ma’am you need to come with us,” a gruff suit demands. 

Roxanne inwardly rolls her eyes, this guy really contributes to the typical secret agent stereotype. But on the outside, she coyly smiles and says, “of course, but under whose orders.” The men all look to each other confused, usually, people freak out and try to run. The agent that first spoke turns back around to answer the woman only to find an empty space.

“Fan out and find her.” the agent says in frustration. She’s a clever woman and the suit can’t help but admire her efforts to get away. Finally, one of the men restrains her with zip ties but the doctor thrashes around wildly in the man’s arms. The original agent she spoke to approaches her and says, “apologies ma’am but we’re just doing our job.” Her green eyes narrow in suspicion, and before she can analyze his body language any further his hand whips out of his pocket and injects something into her neck.

Roxanne tries to keep her eyes open but soon she succumbs to the drug and slumps into the man that is restraining her. Making sure the drug worked entirely and checking to see if she was faking it the agent jerks his head toward the escalade in a silent command. 

After blindfolding Roxanne and putting her in the back SUV they drive off to a secret off-grid military base. Hopefully, they’ll get some answers. 

Roxanne wakes up to a small humming sound. Maybe an AC unit she thinks? Before opening her eyes and letting whoever took her become aware that she is now conscious. The doctor calms her mind and tries to push down the slight panic she feels. 

Slowly opening her eyes Roxanne immediately scans her surroundings and sees exactly what she expected. A large mirror, that she already knows is a one-way window. A metal table is placed in front of her with a chair opposite to the one she is tied to. She tries to move her hands from behind her back and can barely shift them with how tight her bindings are. No question that there will be bruises around her wrists after this. 

With nothing to entertain herself with Roxanne sighs and crosses her legs in boredom. After about 5 minutes the impatient woman turns toward the window and grins at the faces she can’t see but assumes are watching her. Opening her red painted lips she says in a very clear voice, “let’s get this party started, shall we.” 

Agent David Townes looks at the woman behind the glass astonished by her carefree but almost dangerous nature. He’s been observing her for the last 30 minutes and can’t get a clear read or angle on the doctor, she’s definitely a wild card. Townes opens her file and quickly scans over the contents and feels a bit of pity for the position she was in as a child. Any person who can turn their life around after a traumatic incident like that will have a tough shell to crack.  
He strides to the door, takes a deep breath, and walks into the room.

If Roxanne is surprised to see him she doesn’t show it but patiently waits for the man, undoubtedly sent to interrogate her, to sit down. Once seated, he places a manila folder down on the desk and stares at her.

Not unnerved at all by this tactic Roxanne stares back with blank eyes, like a steel trap not revealing anything. Both adults assess each other, neither are willing to speak first. After a few silent minutes, the suited man sighs and says, “You are Roxanne Shelby, correct.” 

Roxanne slightly rolls her eyes. What is it with men not treating her earned title as a doctor with respect? Her red lips part a bit wickedly when she says, “If you did your research on me, which I assume you did or else you wouldn’t be in this room right now. You know that I spent years and thousands of dollars to gain a PhD. I’m guessing you didn’t address me as ‘doctor’ to gauge my reaction and incite an angry but prideful response from me.” Townes only indication of shock is his eyes slightly widening but they soon narrow in anger. This is going to be a lot more difficult than he originally thought.

Roxanne again allows the agent to regain his composure but the edge of her lips lift in satisfaction at riling up this man. The agent clears his throat before introducing himself to her. Roxanne gives him a bright but fake smile and sarcastically says, “I would shake your hand but they’re a bit tied up at the moment.” The man does not look amused by her humor and ignores that statement. 

He attempts to regain control of the conversation by asking, “Do you know why you are here Dr. Shelby?” Roxanne slightly shrugs her shoulders in confusion, but her lips pull back into a secretive smile. Antagonizing this agent is not part of her plan but after all, it is fun to push his buttons. “Well, then I’ll tell you why. Our country and the world is at risk at this moment, and this alien personally asks for you by name.” The doctor already knows his angle, and his ploy to get her to reveal information will fail. Casually Roxanne responds with, “They are numerous women with the name Roxanne Shelby in the country, not even counting the world. Are you even sure you have the right woman agent?” 

Not willing to let her win this round, Townes attacks back with, “you’d be surprised to know there are actually 12 Roxanne Shelby’s in the United States, including you.” He glances at her face before continuing. “And regarding the rest of the women outside of the United States, the transmission we all viewed was different from other countries. No other country besides America received the part of the message that identified your name.” Roxanne’s expression was stoic but the agent could almost see the gears turning rapidly in her mind.

Satisfied that he finally has her full attention he continues his tangent. “Seven of the Roxanne Shelby’s are under the age of 3 and were deemed not a target. The remaining four are around your age but after finding no abnormalities in their lives were ultimately dismissed. And you were what’s left on the list. Truthfully, we almost overlooked you, but then an interesting story that was badly buried popped up on our radar. I read your mother’s trial. And the crime scene pictures even I admit are a little gruesome.” The agent opens the file and pulls out multiple pictures of the table she was tied down to soaked in blood and pictures the hospital took of the cuts along her body. 

Roxanne stuck in a trance stares at the pictures as the now cocky agent continues to speak. Her past always will hold her back no matter how hard she tries to ignore it. It will always define her. “You have no right,” she hoarsely whispers. The man finally pleased at getting a genuine reaction from the doctor says, “I have every right with the government on my side.” 

Roxanne realizes that this is her in. “Oh really... According to the 4th Amendment of the constitution that holds the governing powers in check. You are illegally holding me against my will without telling me my rights or what I am being detained for. Also considering I have no prior arrests or instances of violence you have no probable cause to detain me at all. Your so-called ‘evidence’ is merely conjecture and holds no weight and definitely wouldn’t stand in court. So you tell me Agent, whose side is the law on?” 

Agent Townes is astounded, not only did this woman not reveal any new information but she single-handedly turned the conversation back to him in a matter of seconds. 

Ignoring his gobsmacked expression Roxanne turns back to the mirror and calmly states, “I think I broke your interrogator, so while you scramble for a replacement can I get some water.” 

The general, who just walked in moments before Roxanne handed Townes his ass, lets out a chuckle. He turns to Superman who doesn’t move his gaze from the woman behind the glass. While Roxanne is distracted the agent regains his composure and moves to hit her cheek. And before Clark can even move, Roxanne catches his hand in a tight grip. 

She gets up from the uncomfortable metal chair and kicks her heeled Louboutin shoe into his abdomen while still holding his wrist. The men behind the window hear a sickening pop from the Agent’s shoulder being dislocated. 

An awkward silence falls over the room before the general orders some of his men to get Townes medical attention. They drag him out of the interrogation room and Roxanne sits back down with her feet propped up on the table looking pleased with herself. 

Clark has never felt this angry before in his entire life. As the groaning man stumbles past him, he wishes the man would drop dead. Trying to bury these dangerous thoughts to the back of his mind, an agent opens the door for him and he walks into the room.

Roxanne looks up from her lap when she hears the room’s door open again. Steeling herself for another interrogation and possibly torture, she’s shocked to see red and blue. Just as she studies him, Clark can’t help but admire Roxanne. Her red lips are especially distracting and emphasized by her entire outfit, which is also red. Until now, he never realized how much he likes the color red. Her brown hair softly shines under the fluorescent lights and her green eyes sparkle with rage from her situation.

Roxanne never took the time to examine the superhero the last time they met and she can’t help but admit, he’s handsome. But the doctor doesn’t fail to notice his hands in cuffs. For unexplainable reasons, Roxanne’s neck and chest start to tingle, but she shakes off the chills with a scoff. 

He sits down in front of her and stares at her hands. Before she gets a chance to speak he blurts out, “Are you ok?” She follows his gaze to the bruises littering her wrists and lets out a short laugh, “I’ve had worse. I’m guessing you’re the one this Zod mentioned.” Clark looks down but slowly nods, as if ashamed. “You look nothing like E.T. But, I guess that’s a good thing,” Roxanne says trying to lift the man’s spirits. 

“So are you giving yourself up?” Roxanne asks with a raised eyebrow. Clark’s blue eyes connect with her green for a second before saying, “Yes I’m surrendering.” Roxanne’s legs drop from the metal desk and she leans in toward Clark. “And you’re here to save me again Wonderboy?” The caped hero could barely make out what she was saying because all he can think about is how close they were right now. How her heart started beating a little bit quicker ever since he walked in the room. He wonders if this is just the pheromones affecting him again. He wants to tell her about what he learned but there are too many ears listening for that to happen. Clark doesn’t want her to make her, even more, a target than she already is. 

Superman smiles briefly saying, “If I recall correctly, you didn’t want my help last time.” Roxanne’s cheeks lightly flush in embarrassment at how rude she was to him in the desert. “Well, that doesn’t mean I didn’t need it.” 

Now thinking more seriously Roxanne asks, “Do you know what Zod wants from me?” Clark obviously now had a strong suspicion of Zod’s motives with her but, decides to tell her when they’re alone. “I have an idea or two,” he answers vaguely. Roxanne’s lips thin out into a frown but she doesn’t push it. 

Moving on to a lighter topic Roxanne cheekily states, “the ‘S’ is for Superman right.” Clark glances down on the symbol plastered on his chest and says, “On my planet it means hope.” He pauses for second before slyly asking, “Is that what you’ve decided to call me?” 

Before either can say another word to each other, the sound of an intercom crackles throughout the room. 

Roxanne zones out when the man introduces himself and basically voices the concerns of the world regarding aliens and whatnot. She comes back to reality when Superman starts naming things he can see. Unknowingly, Roxanne whispers out loud to herself, “Can he see me naked?” Clark doesn’t acknowledge that he heard her but struggles to hold in a laugh at where her thoughts turned to.

For some reason, she can’t stop thinking about the possibility of this alien seeing her in her underwear. At least she wore a bra today she thinks positively. Another man’s voice from the speaker breaks Roxanne from her train of thought when he says, “You revealed your true identity to Ms. Lane, why not us?” At first, Roxanne feels appalled that he told that nosy reporter. And then she thinks that telling her was a stupid mistake that will bite him in the ass in sooner or later. She studies the side of Superman’s face and almost feels jealous, no, disappointed that he told a reporter before her. Roxanne jolts at those thoughts and metaphorically beats them back into the corner of her brain with a stick. 

Suddenly the superhero stands from his seat, breaks his handcuffs easily, and speaks directly to the people behind the glass. Roxanne has no doubt that he can see them but it looks a little ridiculous on her end. Sighing in discomfort from sitting too long in one spot, she stretches her arms up towards her head and scowls at the darkening bruises decorating her wrists. The doctor returns her attention to Superman who is either making promises or threats and honestly, doesn’t care enough to pay close attention. 

The way things are going, she’s going to have enough problems of her own very soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any properties of any of the DC Universe characters, movies, plotlines, etc. I do own my own character, Roxanne Shelby, and any other characters or plot changes I add to this story.

Superman and Roxanne are immediately ushered outside with multiple soldiers as military escorts. Roxanne isn't sure if they were there for protection, or to make sure they didn't run away. Not caring much anyway, Roxanne tries to absorb what would be some of her last moments on Earth. With this in mind, she struts down the ramp and before walking into the sun, quickly whips out the sunglasses she had on earlier to shield her green eyes.

From the corner of her eye, she spots Superman looking at her clearly amused. "Don't laugh, we all can't be super aliens with amazing eyesight," she sassily lectures the superhero. Is she being a little over the top? Absolutely. Wouldn't everyone be if they were about to be turned over to a previously unknown alien race?

She walks down the tarmac like a fashion model on a runway. Her monochrome red outfit and makeup solidify this comparison even more. Roxanne's light brown hair ruffles in the wind slightly and the doctor takes the time to notice the little things she'll miss. Things she never fully appreciated before. The wind in her hair, the sun warming her cheeks, the stunning blue sky, and the man/alien next to her.

While Roxanne tries to enjoy herself, Clark can't keep his eyes off of her. He's never seen her more carefree and beautiful. Her bright smile flashes when a particularly big gust of wind rustles her clothing and hair. He can't help but think that he could see himself with her. Taking her on dinner dates, watching movies together, visiting museums, or visiting his mom on the farm. Clark should have asked her when he had the chance and wants to kick himself for pushing his feelings away.

The secret hero doesn't even care if the pheromones are affecting him anymore. He's been attracted to her since he first laid eyes on her in that desert. And, if he's being honest with himself, he can't stand the thought of her being with anybody else.

Coming out of his inner thoughts, Clark scans his surroundings and sees he's not the only one mesmerized by Roxanne. Multiple soldiers lining the tarmac stare helplessly after the woman, like puppies. While he doesn't like their leering looks, he can't blame them entirely. She is breathtaking.

Finally reaching the beginning of the military barrier, Roxanne sees a beetle-like ship made up of black metallic material in the desert. Squinting a bit and bringing her hand up to cover her eyes from the blinding sun, she can pinpoint three figures standing in the distance. Two out of the three are obviously alien with their stark black uniform outfits. The remaining figure appears to be human. Turning towards the general she bluntly says, "tell me that's not who I think it is." The General barely suppresses a snort but clears his throat before replying, "Afraid so ma'am."

Roxanne sighs deeply before turning her head to face Superman only to find that he is already looking at her. She holds his gaze for a tense minute before shifting her gaze to the ground, breaking eye contact with him.

The archaeologist rolls her shoulder and tries to prepare herself for, literally, unknown territory. Turning to her right she sees a man looking at her with pity. Roxanne takes off her sunglasses, folds them and says to the man, "What's your name, soldier?" A little surprised she is talking to him, he quickly responds back with, "Colonel Hardy, Ma'am." She nods her head and says, "Well Colonel, do you mind giving this back to my father for me." Roxanne takes off her necklace and hands it to him. "It's been in my family for generations and they deserve to have it back," she says this sadly because she doubts she'll see them again. The colonel nods in agreement and takes the dainty chain from her.

The doctor moves on and spies a female soldier near her. Not willing to look in her eyes and see even more pity, Roxanne quickly hands her the last possession she can give, her sunglasses. The woman looks at them in confusion. The doctor lets out a short laugh at the look on her face. "Take them. Wear them when you gotta put someone in line. I can tell you're a tough woman and these will make you even more badass." The soldier looks unsure, so Roxanne puts the final nail in the coffin, "I won't need them where I'm going."

The woman stiffens but curtly nods. As Roxanne turns to walk back to Superman and the other men watching their interaction, the soldier immediately puts on the sunglasses. Proud to wear them. Roxanne is all smiles but tears gather in her eyes, but she pushes them back in favor of her pride. She gives the general and the colonel and stiff nod and they reply with a full salute. The rest of the soldiers at the barricade follow suit. Roxanne is touched by their sentiments but can't help but feeling like she's marching to her death.

Running a hand through her brown locks and smoothing out her red pants, Roxanne confidently walks to the spaceship. Clark follows after her, unknowing reassuring her with his weirdly familiar presence.

As they start to get closer, Roxanne can hear Lois' piercing voice. 'It seems like the pushy reporter is trying to pretend to be me', the doctor thinks. Clark, who can hear Lois' entire speech with the aliens, sighs and looks at Roxanne for her reaction. He's a little started by the mischievous glint in her green eyes.

Finally closing the distance Roxanne strongly says, "Nice try Lane, but I think your feet are a little small to fill my heeled shoes." The brunette is fed up with Lois and maybe some part of her is mad that she knows who Superman really is. But pretending to be her for a story. It's just pathetic. The redhead turns around quickly, almost tripping in the sand. The female reporter gasps, a little offended at the comment.

The female alien smirks and runs her calculating eyes over Roxanne. When she meets Clark's glaring blue eyes she laughs before looking to Roxanne again. The alien woman politely introduces herself as Lieutenant Faora. 'That's a pretty name', Roxanne thinks to herself. Regaining her attention, the alien lieutenant says, "Please present proof of your identity." Digging into her pants pockets Roxanne pulls out her driver's license and hands it to the alien. Faora laughs and dryly clarifies, "your other identification." Roxanne is confused and thinks, 'does she mean passport because that was back at her apartment.'

The lieutenant, noticing her and Clark's confusion, stalks forward and rips Roxanne's blouse open. Buttons went flying and Roxanne feels warm under the alien woman's intense gaze. 'Well, that's eighty dollars down the drain,' the doctor thinks sadly. Faora examines Roxanne's scars with interest and stares at her lace-covered breasts in appreciation. But, when she sees unblemished skin on her chest she frowns. "General Zod will be very pleased with your cooperation." And with that, she grabs Roxanne's arm and motions Clark forward with her head.

They begin walking towards the alien craft and Roxanne starts to panic. Clark catches her eyes and her fast breathing starts to decrease slightly when looking into his ocean blue eyes. Lois, not ready to give up on her story, runs and painfully latches herself on to Roxanne's free arm. Roxanne's already razor-thin patience finally snaps.

The doctor rips herself out of Faora's firm grasp and punches Lois squarely in the face. Lois' head whips back from the impact and her body crumbles to the ground in agony. Everyone winces in sympathy when they hear the crunch of Lois' nose. Roxanne runs a hand through her brown hair and stalks over to where Lois is flat on the ground. Limp like a corpse. She hoists Lois up by her shirt's collar and whispers in her ear, "Don't ever touch me again, do you understand?" Lois tearfully nods and Roxanne smiles viciously before dropping her back to the ground. The alien lieutenant looks on with approval while Clark feels conflicted about how he should react. "Let's go," Roxanne says emotionlessly.

Faora nods and leads them up the ramp into the ship. The other armed but nameless alien follows behind them, boxing them in like cattle.

Roxanne watches the ship's door shut on her world, her life, and her freedom. Her head drops, hair shielding the gathering tears in her eyes from view. Superman grabs ahold of her hand in what she assumes is comfort but, she feels something sharp and cold in his palm. Roxanne flicks her eyes to meet his own, he mouths 'key' and she slightly nods in understanding. Strangely, she does feel a bit better and a little too warm if she's being honest. He releases her hand, the warm feeling vanishes and a shiver runs down her spine. As inconspicuously as she could manage Roxanne slides the strange key into her bra.

It's sharp esges poke at her skin but, it's the only place she could think they wouldn't search. This is the exact moment she realizes her bra and cleavage are on direct display. Sputtering a little in embarrassment, Roxanne tries to salvage what's left of her shirt to cover herself. Faora comes back down the ladder presumably from contacting the main ship. She sees Roxanne's failing efforts at modesty, and says, "You will be provided new clothing on board." Roxanne smiles at her in appreciation but buttons the two remaining buttons before tying the ends of her red blouse into a makeshift crop top. Feeling satisfied with her work, she looks up only to see Superman starting at her chest. Roxanne just waits. She doesn't move or get his attention. The doctor wants to see how long it will take before he notices she caught him.

A minute later Clark looks up and sees Roxanne's unimpressed face staring him down. His ears turn red and she rolls her eyes in a way that can only be interpreted as, 'men'. Clark is saved from explaining his actions when they dock on the main Kryptonian ship.

They are herded down the halls of the bigger ship towards where she assumes this Zod is. They reach a big room, almost like a command center. She immediately locks eyes with a brown-haired man dressed in heavy battle armour. He then shifts his eyes to address Superman, "The lost son of Krypton, you have no idea how long we have searched for you." Clark responds stoically, "I assume you're Zod." Faora immediately cuts in, "General Zod, our commander…" Roxanne hears the loyalty and passion in the alien woman's voice and gains a bit of respect for the lieutenant.

Zod drones on and Roxanne loses interest quickly in the conversation when Clark starts to painfully cough. His chest moves fast trying to get him air but something was wrong with what his lungs were breathing. Clark frantically looks for Roxanne, his eyes darting around the now blurry room. He panics thinking that she won't be able to breathe and die. But, the doctor looks unaffected for some reason. She is currently harassing some of the silent alien guards for clothes. But, she must have heard him fall to the ground because her body whips around and is immediately at his side.

"Hey E.T. you're not looking too hot right now," she grabs his hand and doesn't notice the marks on her stomach and back glow gold. But Zod does. Clark groans and breathes heavily, his lungs rattling from the foreign atmosphere. He collapses entirely onto the ship's floor and continues struggling to breathe, coughing up blood. Not knowing what else to do, Roxanne sits down and shifts his head onto her lap. Her hands stroke his black curly hair in what she hopes is a comforting motion. Though barely conscious he can still vaguely see and hear what's going on.

"And you must be Roxanne Shelby," Zod's attention is fully on her and she's not going to lie, it's somewhat unnerving. He holds a firm hand out to the doctor. Something in his intent gaze tells her he won't take no for an answer. Moving Superman's head from her lap and gently placing it back on the floor she places her hand in Zod's. He easily pulls her up from her seated position and uses his grip on her to pull her closer.

The alien general reaches out with his other hand and moves a strand of her hair away from her face. Roxanne just observes him and tries to figure out his true motives. Zod grasps her chin and looks into her furious jade eyes. He laughs heartily, "Such fire, good you'll need that." She rips her chin away from his hand to look back at Clark. She somewhat relaxes after seeing his breathing even out. A searing sensation running along her body pulls at her attention. Roxanne turns back around and sees Zod touching one of the marks on the exposed slip of her back. It glows a dark orange. Her brow furrows in confusion and fear. She's never seen her scars do anything like that before. "How long have I waited to have you," Zod says as he turns her fully towards him. He frowns seeing her unscarred chest before stating, "Soon I'll finish what your mother started for me all those years ago."

Roxanne's face morphs into one of pure terror, her body trembles under Zod's watchful gaze and lingering touch. Her eyes roll to the back of her head and she faints in his arms. Zod catches her limp body with a smirk. He faces Clark who is glaring so hard at Zod he probably wished him dead. "Kal-el you should have completed the ritual when you had the chance. Now it's too late." Clark asks, "Why her?"

Zod looks down at the woman he's dreamed of having and says, "she's meant to be the mother of the new generation of Kryptonians. She will ensure Krypton's survival." Clark feels disgusted listening to Zod's plans for Roxanne and spits out, "So what, you breed her until she dies?" Zod shakes his head at Clark's ignorance regarding his own people's traditions. "After I mark her and bond with her she'll have the first child of New Krypton. If you don't give me the codex that will be her fate." Zod lies through his teeth, even if Kal-El handed over the codex, he would still bond with Roxanne. Clark looks at her pale face with agony written all over his face. He wonders what will happen to Roxanne if he doesn't do something fast.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I don't own any properties of any of the DC Universe characters, movies, or plot lines. I do own my character, Roxanne Shelby and any other characters or plot changes I add to this story. Basically I don't own anything.

Roxanne groans while stretching out her limbs. She obviously didn’t sleep well because the woman still feels drained. She blames her lack of sleep entirely on the weird dream she had last night. A slow and steady beeping trickles into her ears. That’s not her alarm clock. Green eyes shoot open in fright. It wasn’t a dream. 

Quickly scanning the hospital-like room her heartbeat eases slightly at finding herself alone. Roxanne briefly examines herself and finds multiple tubes and what she assumes is sensors, attached everywhere. Not even getting the chance to take in how bizarre her situation is, the metal door suddenly slides open with a swoosh. She immediately closes her eyes and pretends to still be asleep. 

Heavy footsteps walk into the room and seem to be heading in the direction of her bed. Roxanne lets out a soft breath of air and shifts slightly as though restlessly sleeping, really trying to sell her act. The steps stop and it takes everything in the doctor to not flinch when a hot hand touches her thigh. The heat is uncomfortable and all Roxanne wants to do is throw the hand off her leg, then plunge herself into an ice bath. The hand slowly trails up her thigh, pausing at her hip to give it a small squeeze and briefly tickles her stomach before stopping at her neck. A thumb begins brushing the column of Roxanne’s neck, almost teasingly. The hot hand moves down her chest and right before the greedy fingers can explore anywhere else, she decides it’s time to be awake.

Roxanne quickly grabs the hand and cocks back her free hand. Before she can even land a hit on the person, her fist was caught and trapped in another. Breathing heavily through her nose, Roxanne is face to face with her violator. Zod.

He doesn’t say anything to her. Just stands and waits for Roxanne to calm down. The loud erratic beeping and her breathing are the only sounds in the quiet room. It makes Roxanne want to scream. She lets go of his hand and tries to punch him with her other fist. But he catches that one also. 

It’s all too much, the heat is starting to overwhelm her and sweat beads on her forehead. Her head starts to pound and suddenly she feels dizzy. Zod intently watches her face and swiftly grabs onto her as her body slumps against him. “You are supposed to be resting,” Zod speaks with condescension lacing his voice. His hand reaches up to pet her hair as Roxanne struggles to breathe. She manages to sarcastically spit out, “Well someone woke me up.” 

Roxanne attempts to push herself out of his arms, but they cage her in tighter to his chest. She lets out an annoyed huff and raises her head to glare at him. Clearly hinting that she wants to be let go. The Kryptonian man smirks at her glare but says, “If you can restrain yourself from hurting me, I’ll release you.” The alien general watches the conflicting emotions flicker across her face before she lowers her head in defeat and nods. 

“Why am I in a hospital bed?” she timidly asks. Zod still stands imposingly by her bedside while replying, “We were running some tests to ensure your health, your body seems to burn off drugs faster so we had to stop for now.” The brunette tries to think of a logical way out of this. After a short silence and small mental pep talk Roxanne asks, “What tests are left?” Zod just stares at her, wondering if he could trust her. Seeing the serious look in her glazed jade eyes he decides to tell her. “We’ve already tested if you retain your virginity.” When Roxanne doesn’t look fazed or say anything retaliatory the general continues. “The last test is to determine your fertility.”

A beat of silence stretches across the room before Roxanne states in monotone, “So basically you did tests on me while I was unconscious, to gather the information that I could tell you, without me being in pain.” Zod doesn’t give a response or any indication he heard what she said. Now furious, Roxanne continues, “Here lets roleplay what could have happened instead,” She mockingly clears her throat, “Ask me.” Zod looks away from her scathing gaze. 

He may be an alien general, but this is the woman who will give him everything he lost and more. Lightly sighing, Zod decides to play along with this game of hers. “Are you a virgin?” Zod pointlessly questions, not very interested since he already knows the answer. Seeing his disinterest in their conversation Roxanne decides to have some fun with this. Looking down casually to examine her nails the woman responds with, “Well, technically yes. I’ve never had sex with a man before.” A brief pause settles in the air before she delivers the final blow, “But that doesn’t mean I haven’t had sex with women before.” 

Roxanne notices a slight chip on the red polish of her left thumbnail and slightly pouts. Her hand is roughly grabbed out of the air and painfully held in the grasp of the now angry Kryptonian general. She gasps and locks her tear-filled eyes on Zod. “You are my mate. We were destined to meet and bond. You may have had liaisons in your past but I am your future. There is no other outcome. The sooner you accept your fate the better things will be.” he practically growls out. 

The doctor’s mind is racing to try to find a way around this situation. She can admit that she read him wrong and pushed far too many buttons. Trying to appease him for the time being she grits out, “Ask me.” The raging flames die to embers in Zod’s murderous eyes. He remains silent. “Ask me about the last test,” Roxanne demands while still held in his unbearable grip. “Are you fertile?” his voice roughly rasps. Seeing an in, Roxanne decides to take a different approach. She leans her body, pressing into Zod and places her head next to his. Her lips part brushing against his earlobe to softly whisper into his ear, “extremely.” 

That seemed to be the ideal response he was looking for because his harsh grip loosens until he begins to massage her bruising wrist. Zod ducks his head into the crook of her neck only to whisper back, “You’ll be mine soon. Your neck and chest will forever tie you to me. We will restore Krypton to its former glory.” Roxanne has to hold back a shiver of disgust at his plans for her and chooses to remain silent. 

Roxanne bravely asks, “Where’s E.T.?” instead of commenting on his goal of her becoming a babymaker. “If you’re referring to Kal-el, we had to run some tests on him as well. I believe he’s still quite occupied.” Zod nonchalantly responds. He is still trapping her in his arms and doesn’t see the flash of panic crossing her face. Before he can do anything else too adventurous for Roxanne’s taste, she came up with a perfect distraction. Well, at least an effective distraction.

Leaning slightly back to look at Zod’s face she slightly teases, “I was promised clothing before coming aboard.” He glances down at her still torn shirt and tight red pants, his eyes darken. The general closes his eyes and takes a deep breath through his nose before giving a firm nod. “I will send my lieutenant with the proper clothing, which you will be needing for the ceremony as well.” Roxanne is confused with the last part of the sentence. She gulps before shakily asking, “What ceremony?” 

He looks at her dead in the eyes before saying, “To become my mate I must mark you and have you bear my family seal. It’s one of the most honourable rituals on Krypton.” Trying to look unaffected Roxanne simply nods in understanding. He gives her one last long glance before turning around and striding out of the room. 

She waits a short moment for him to get out of earshot before jumping into action. Shoving that entire frightening encounter to the back of her brain for later analysis she focuses on the trials in front of her. Step 1 Escape. Step 2 Grab Wonderboy. Step 3 Don’t get married. Seems like an easy enough list to her she thinks sarcastically to herself.

Digging her hand into her bra cup she practically rips out the supposed ‘key’ Superman gave her earlier. Finally, glad to have that little piece of shrapnel away from her breast. Looking at the door Roxanne tries to find a keypad or something similar. She spots a sort of blue oval roughly the size of her hand with a hole in the middle. Eyeing the key again and with no other options available, she shoves the key into the hole. It’s a perfect fit. 

Roxanne looks at the door expectantly. It doesn’t open. “Hmm,” she mumbles under her breath. She looks back at the sort of keypad and nothing looks different. The doctor huffs in frustration trying to think of a solution. “Key my ass. Stupid alien technology.” she continues to grumble to herself. She turns around to begin pacing the room only to find an old guy standing behind her, looking at her passively. 

She jumps in shock and may have shouted a profanity or two. “What the Hell!” Roxanne exclaims in shock and anger. 

“The command key Dr. Shelby. Thanks to you I’m uploading to the ship’s mainframe.” The man calmly states. “Okay….Who are you then?” Roxanne timidly asks. She doesn’t want to get on the bad side of someone who can be her ally. “I’m Jor-El, Kal-El’s biological father.”

Roxanne’s mouth drops open in surprise. She quickly snaps it shut with a soft click. “Sure, um I’m guessing you want me to help your son.” The older man solemnly nods and says, “I designed this ship and will tell you steps to make the air more compatible for humans.”

“Okay, one second,” Roxanne says before tying her makeshift crop top tighter. Ready for battle. “Let’s go.” Jor-El nods and opens the door for Roxanne and him. She grabs the key when alarms start to go off around them. They hurriedly travel through the ship after stabilizing the air to human conditions to help Superman escape. A guard encounters them on the way and before they can blast at Roxanne, Jor-El immediately separates them by shutting the door. 

They continue to weave through the maze of grey corridors on this ship and Roxanne manages to pick up an alien blaster along the way to defend herself with. She barely gets the chance to look it over before Jor-El tells her to fire. Immediately she pulls the trigger, still a little resentful that she was tested on by these people. They stop for a moment until Jor-El bluntly says “Behind you.” She whips around shooting two guards to the floor. He keeps pointing her in the right direction of the escape pods before they finally reach them. 

Roxanne gives him a thankful smile. “I must go help my son but take this escape pod back to Earth.” Jor-El politely directs her to a nearby door. The door to her freedom. Roxanne sighs in relief before saying to him, “Thank you for your help.” Before he vanishes he says, “Of course Dr. Shelby, we are going to be family after all.” 

Filing away the strange sentence for later Roxanne climbs into the metal pod, struggling to buckle herself in. 

Before she can even attempt to look for the eject button something hard is knocked against her temple. Through blurry eyes, she can barely make out the shape of the female lieutenant. Roxanne attempts to say something but the blood trickling down her forehead is a little distracting. She lets out a groan before succumbing to darkness. Surrendering her chance of freedom.


	10. Chapter 10

Roxanne wakes up laying on the cold floor of a cell. Rolling into an upright position, blood rushes to her head and incites a killer headache. She closes her eyelids quickly while taking a few calming breaths. The pain begins too dull to a persistent throbbing near her temples. Deeply sighing, the woman only hopes it's not a sign of a concussion.

Shifting her aching body to lean against the wall, she slides down the metal with her knees pulled tight to her chest. The cooling sensation of the metal on her back helps some.

The door to the cell slides open and Lieutenant Faora walks in with a bundle of fabric in her arms. She eyes the human woman sitting on the floor with a flicker of sympathy in her gaze.

Without looking up, Roxanne blandly asks, "Are you here to lecture me or to torture me?" Faora's blue eyes take in the doctor's defeated face and posture. "General Zod sent me to help you get ready for the ceremony," the lieutenant replies.

Roxanne doesn't move to get up. She gives a humourless laugh before sarcastically saying, "Oh yes...How could I forget my own wedding." Green watery eyes land on Faora before adding, "That must make you my maid of honor."

The alien tucks the clothing underneath her arm before gently grabbing Roxanne's arms, helping her stand up. Roxanne has to tilt her head slightly to look at Faora's face but she catches sight of a small smile on the woman's lips. "Perhaps while I help you get ready you will explain the meaning of what you said," the lieutenant simply suggests.

Roxanne is led out of the cell, into an empty bedroom suite, and guided straight into the bathroom area. 'I guess not everything is so different here from Earth,' the human muses to herself. The grey tub automatically starts to fill with itself water and soaps that have unfamiliar but pleasant scents.

The doctor turns around to face the lieutenant with a new determination in her stance. "I will cooperate with this in exchange for some answers," she politely demands. Faora doesn't seem to be phased by this request and gives a small nod in agreement. "Agreed. Please remove your clothing and step into the bath."

Roxanne turns around to face away from the alien and begins to remove her makeshift shirt. It isn't exactly difficult because of its damaged state. She bends slightly at the waist to unbutton her red paints and slide them down her legs. Both items fall to the floor. The only things left to cover her body are her black lacy set of underwear and bra. Roxanne begins to feel embarrassed but continues. Twisting her bruised hands behind her back she unhooks her bra. Then she removes the last barrier between her being clothed and naked. Feeling a cold draft, Roxanne quickly steps into the warm water in the tub.

She submerges her exposed body and moves some of the soap bubbles to cover the necessities. Turning her red face to the lieutenant she surprisingly finds the alien facing the wall, giving her some privacy. "You can turn around now," Roxanne softly tells her.

Faora turns around and sits down in the metal chair placed next to the tub. Both women are now almost eye level. The Lieutenant clears her throat lightly, "You have questions." Roxanne nods, thankful to finally get some real answers. "Yes. I guess the main question I have is about the ceremony and what it is basically for?" The human holds her breath in anticipation for the alien woman's response.

Faora takes a second to gather her thoughts before replying. She bluntly starts speaking. "On Krypton, for centuries, our people have completed the ceremony to bind two people together. In the beginning, it was to enhance fertility and produce multiple children for our ranks. Special circumstances were allowed for arranged marriages. But as technology advanced to the point where we didn't need natural births anymore, it became a rarity. It all but died out, until now." The lieutenant stops talking and hands Roxanne a brush to scrub her body with. Thinking through Faora's words, the human woman absentmindedly takes the brush and begins to clean her body.

She whispers softly, "How is it done?" Faora assumes Roxanne means the actual acts of ceremony and prepares her answer. "Traditionally, Kryptonian women are scarred with symbols to bind them to their partner. The sigils also allow for the couple to feel each other's emotions and help them connect. Then the partner would bite the woman on their neck and carve their family seal onto her chest. There is virtually no data documented on what happens after completion of the bond."

Roxanne rolls her eyes, "Objectively, that sounds a little misogynistic to me." Faora lets out a little laugh and nods in agreement. "Yes. To remedy that, some women would choose to bite their partner's neck in return. But even without that step, the couple would still be bonded."

Once she is finished washing, Faora helps her out of the tub while averting her eyes. Looking away, the alien woman hands Roxanne a fluffy black towel. Roxanne gingerly takes it and wraps it around her body securely.

Once again, she's led back into the bedroom and handed a floor-length dress to put on. Heading behind a dressing screen in the corner of the room, she drops the towel to the floor. She holds up the metallic-like grey dress in front of her. Roxanne briefly wonders to herself, where's the rest of it?

Roxanne considers what would happen if she refuses to put on the revealing dress. Debating with herself for the moment, she begrudgingly puts on the dress in favour of getting more information. Seeing a mirror behind her, Roxanne turns to gaze at her reflection.

The dress fits her well, a little too well in her opinion. But it shows too much skin for her taste. Her entire arms are on complete display, while her legs are covered with a transparent mesh fabric. Roxanne has never shown her scars off too much in the past. She's not really too sure how she feels about letting people see them. Trying to focus on something else she examines the top of the dress. It is basically nonexistent because of the plunging neckline and mesh fabric.

Roxanne doesn't know how this outfit could even qualify as a dress because of how little it actually covers. Optimistically she thinks to herself, 'at least my breasts and ass are covered.'

Before her eyes can criticize her scars any more, she walks out from behind the screen. Her eye catches Faora standing stiffly and waiting by the bed. Ice blue eyes scan her body appraisingly, giving Roxanne a little boost in confidence about her appearance.

Faora hands her what can be assumed is an alien hairbrush while continually looking over Roxanne's outfit. While brushing out the knots hidden in her brown locks she thinks of better times. And like a wave, memories of her dad appear before her eyes. Tears almost escape her eyes as she thinks back to moments on how supportive he was in school, her career, and everything else she wanted to do.

Finished brushing her hair Faora leads her back into the cell she was in before. But, now there are chains attached to the wall. Raising a brown eyebrow the human woman jokes, " I didn't know you were into bondage, lieutenant." Roxanne lets out a little laugh after she says that and turns around only to see Faora's light blue eyes almost pitch black. The alien advances on Roxanne, backing her against the metal wall. They lock eyes and Roxanne quickly asks a question to distract the lieutenant. "If you don't mind me asking, why aren't you bonded with one of your comrades. Why am I even needed?"

A sad look washes over Faora's face. The lieutenant reaches down and wraps her hand around Roxanne's wrist to attach the metal cuff. "Women meant to be in the military forces were engineered to be sterile. That includes me."

Roxanne grabs Faora's bare hand before she can cuff her free hand. She laces their fingers and meaningfully says, "I can't imagine how that must feel, I'm so sorry." A bright acid green light interrupts the comforting moment.

"Why are my scars glowing again?" Roxanne frustratingly asks. As if stating the obvious Faora says, "It's a result of having direct contact with potential mates." The human woman still being a little confused says, "But if the ritual is to heighten fertility, why are you considered a potential mate for me?"

Faora's eyes dilate in lust again and she huskily says, "I did mention special circumstances earlier. Same-sex couples were not shunned on Krypton like on your planet." Roxanne's cheeks flame red at her body recognizing Faora as a potential mate. Before she can formulate a response to that, Faora takes action.

The alien woman buries her face into Roxanne's neck and suddenly pulls her body tight against her own. Roxanne's chained hands rattle at her sides from the quick movement. Roxanne feels Faora begin to kiss and suck on her neck. She struggles to swallow a moan trying to escape her throat. The lieutenant's tongue circles a certain spot on her neck and she lets out a moan from the contact.

Heat begins to build within the doctor and spreads everywhere. The scars lining her body suddenly brighten when Faora's hands wander to caress her breasts. The lieutenant continues to kiss Roxanne's neck when she hesitantly pulls away.

Roxanne groans from the loss of contact and is out of breath from their encounter. She watches Faora as the Kryptonian stiffens and struggles to regain her calm composure.

Inwardly, Roxanne thinks it's nice to know she's not the only one affected by what just happened. She playfully pouts before whining, "Why did you stop?" Faora gives her a smirk before running a hand through Roxanne's brown hair.

"Unfortunately, nothing can come from this." the lieutenant says with a matter of fact tone. "Yeah, but it was definitely fun," Roxanne states with a playful sparkle in her green eyes.

Faora nods in agreement and gives the doctor a smile. Remembering her situation Roxanne sobers a little. "Can I ask you to do something for me?" she shyly asks. Giving her a confused look the lieutenant nods, urging her to continue. "This is probably one of my last moments of freedom before the ceremony. And I don't want to put any pressure on you or make you do anything. But um….Could you give me a kiss?" she shyly rambles.

A lull of silence permeates the cell. Just as Roxanne is about to stutter out an apology the lieutenant grabs her by the back of the neck and smashes their lips together. Roxanne closes her eyes in bliss and tries to imprint this moment into her mind. Faora tilts her head to the side and runs her tongue along Roxanne's lips. She immediately accepts the silent demand by opening her mouth and letting Faora's tongue dart in. A shiver runs down the doctor's spine and an increasingly familiar heat rushes across her body's nerves. They continue to make out till Roxanne pulls away, gasping for air.

Acid green light still highlights the lieutenant's face as Roxanne attempts to cool down, figuratively and literally. Through her quick breaths, the human woman mutters a quiet, "Thank you."

Faora doesn't say anything to indicate she heard Roxanne but they both know the meaning behind what they just did.

Roxanne shifts her arms to fix her dress when the chains automatically retract further into the wall giving her only 3 feet of space to move. The human woman rolls her eyes and looks back at the now silent Lieutenant. "Are the chains really necessary?" Roxanne complains.

The alien woman's lip quirk at the edges before replying, "Considering you escaped without them last time, yes." Roxanne shrugs her shoulders and couldn't be mad at that logical assessment. "Fair enough."

The lieutenant walks towards the cell door before stopping to quietly say, "If Zod wasn't my commanding officer you would be mine right now." Roxanne blushes bright red, her body tingling from the arousing words, and with a smile, Faora exits her cell.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Basically, the usual that I own nothing. I don't own any properties of any of the DC Universe characters, movies, plotlines, etc. I do own my own character Roxanne Shelby, and any other plot changes or characters I add to this story. Also, I don't own any part of the lyrics from Queen Beyoncé's song Survivor.

Clark strains his wrists against the thick metallic cuffs. His muscles bulge in his pointless efforts to escape. Zod’s face comes into his line of sight. He studies Clark’s struggles before plainly stating, “Your father acquitted himself with honor Kal.” 

Understanding suddenly dawns on Clark’s face. “You killed him?” he chokes out.

Zod bluntly nods, “I did.” His expression firms as he says, “Not a day goes by that it doesn’t haunt me...but if I had to do it again I would. I have a duty to my people, and I will not allow anyone to prevent me from carrying it out” 

“Even if you have to force yourself onto a woman who has no interest in you.” Clark spits out. His face clearly shows disgust at how far another member of his race is willing to go. Zod’s lips curl into a smirk, “After the ceremony, I won’t have to force myself onto dear Roxanne. You would know this if you cared about our heritage.” Not waiting for Clark’s response the alien General saunters out through the sliding doors.

Not a second seems to be wasted on this ship because a minute later another alien strolls in. He fiddles with something Clark can’t see before saying, “You are wasting your efforts. The strength you derived from the earth’s sun is unattainable on our ship.”

Not expecting any response from the bound superhero, the alien holds up a device that resembles a syringe. Except this one looks more sinister than the standard-issue ones used in medicinal practices on Earth. The alien meets Clark’s anger-filled eyes before saying, “In here, you are as weak as a human.” And without any warning, the alien man pierces Clark’s skin with the long needle and presses down on the plunger.

Clark’s body surges upwards in immeasurable pain, only to be forcibly held in place by his restraints. 

Out of nowhere, a beeping alarm fills the ship’s halls and the sound immediately reaches Clark’s ears. The man examining Clark’s blood freezes in place once he hears the alarm.

Clark inhales deeply through his nose. He can feel his body growing stronger with each breath he takes. Taking this chance to escape Clark rips his arm out of one cuff and frees his remaining hand within seconds. The alien is stunned and has a fearful look on his face.

Clark gives him a bored look and the man quickly scurries away through the door which immediately closes after him. 

Clark rolls his eyes to the metal ceiling and slowly gets off the metal table, trying to fully regain his lost energy and strength.

He turns around only to face his biological father, Jor-El.  
Not a fan of confrontation Clark simply asks his father, “what’s on the tablet you put in my ship. Is it the truth?”

Jor-El looks unaffected by this question and responds, “Yes. We wanted you to learn what it meant to be human first. So that one day. When the time was right. And you met someone, you could be the bridge of two peoples.”

Clark’s mind races to connect his suspicions with reality and decides to be blunt in his assessments. “Zod’s planning to use Roxanne.” Clark breaths out.

Jor-El nods unsurprised, “Dr. Shelby was flagged at birth by the council for her extraordinary genes. The council knew we would have to look to other planets and peoples to continue our race. When Zod staged a coup, he deemed her to be the perfect mate to pass on his legacy.”

Clark abruptly turns around and punches a hole straight through the wall of the ship to outer space. Debris floats into the vacuum-like hole he created and out into the inky black of space.

A pensive look crosses Clark’s features and he struggles with alternative ways to save Roxanne. Jor-El only reaffirms Clark’s fears, “You can save her Kal. You know the solution.”

The superhero closes his eyes and clenches his jaw in anger. He knows that there is only one option left and Roxanne is running out of time. Blue eyes flash open and his pupils darken.

After a tense minute, he grits out, “Where is she.” 

Meanwhile, Roxanne was about to have a panic attack about her imminent future of being a broodmare. The thought of Zod touching her again makes her wish for death. Not that he would let her anyway. It’s evident enough that he thought of this possibility with chaining her up in a room completely empty, no sharp objects in sight.

She is passed the point of keeping calm, right now she’s just afraid for what’s coming next. ‘This was not how my life was supposed to turn out’ she brokenly thinks to herself. 

Her breathing starts to become more shallow to the point that her breaths sounded more like gasps at this point. Trying to steady her breathing and remain somewhat rational, the doctor places her head in between her knees and hugs herself. After a couple of deep breaths, the overwhelming panic finally passes. 

Roxanne pushes her aching body to sit against the prison wall and leans her head back to rest against it. A few quiet seconds go by before the brunette opens her mouth and begins to softly sing.

I’m a survivor

I’m gonna make it 

I will survive

Keep on surviving

After letting out the last note of, arguably Queen B’s best song, she falls unconscious. Finally succumbing to her body’s shock and exhaustion. She slightly rouses out of her sleep enough to hear the doors slide open to her cell again. Roxanne takes a peek from underneath her thick eyelashes only to see Superman standing in the now opened doorway. 

Relief immediately washes over Roxanne’s body like a tidal wave. She lets out a small disbelieving laugh before exclaiming, “Ahh, great timing wonder boy! Do you mind breaking these chains for me? This is not how or where I imagined I would be wearing some.” Her teasing words while intended to sound strong and confident are betrayed by her shaking voice. 

Roxanne’s hands tremble as she presents her chained wrists for him to break free with his far superior strength. Not hearing any movement that would indicate him releasing her bindings the small ball of anxiety in her chest grows. Feeling somewhat confused she meets his ocean eyes and instinctually flinches back from what she sees. He looks angry yet feral at the same time. Suddenly feeling very small at this moment Roxanne quickly thinks of ways out of this weird situation. 

She subtly starts to back away from the superhero and in response, he begins to slowly walk towards her. Roxanne tries to reason with Superman in a panicked tone, “Hello? Can we just go? Superman? What are you doing?” 

While distracting the archaeologist, he manages to manoeuver her into a corner and her ever-present chains limit what’s left of her mobility. She is trapped and defenseless with no chance to escape. They are inches apart from each other and she truly feels afraid for the first time since her mother hurt her all those years ago. 

Like a knife, his voice cuts the tense silence in the cell. “I’m saving you,” his voice rasps so quietly she could barely catch his words. Roxanne briefly wonders to herself if he is even talking to her. It’s like he is reassuring himself that he really is saving her. After he whispers that he quickly pins her shoulders to the cold metal wall. They are so close to each other she can feel the puffs of air coming from his nose as they gently move her loose hairs. 

But, Roxanne’s eyes are too slow to catch his next movement. Because out of nowhere, he bites down firmly on the side of her neck. Her body begins to fight against the pain before the brain did and her arms scratch at anything they could reach. Realizing after a second what’s happening she screams in surprise and pain. Not taking this silently she yells, “What the hell! How is this saving me?!” He ignores her question but meets her tear brimmed eyes with his achingly familiar blue. The superhero gazes at the ruby blood dripping down her skin and buries his face into the unharmed side of her neck. Roxanne feels more confused than she ever has in her entire life and even weirder, she has a sudden and strong need to comfort the man who just hurt her. 

Warm water drips down on the side of her neck and Roxanne realizes that he is crying. That realization shocks her still as a statue. He removes his head from her now tear-stained shoulder and aggressively kisses her. She lets out a small shriek of protest and moves her head to try and release her lips from his. While struggling to escape his lips and grip, she doesn’t notice her marks glowing a radiant gold. Clark dreads finishing the last part of the ritual and more tears fall from the pain he was about to put her through. The same pain her mother ruthlessly made her endure as a child. Clark silently wishes to himself that Roxanne will pass out before he finishes so that she won’t have to feel all of it.

The only thing Clark is certain of after he goes through with this is that she will never be able to look at him the same again. 

With that frightening thought plaguing his mind, he desperately kisses her one last time and prepares himself to finish the initial bonding ritual. He pulls away from her and softly brushes his hand across her cheek and through her hair. Clark lightly scrapes his nails across her scalp and her eyes are coaxed shut. That brief moment of pleasure is gone when Roxanne feels a hot flame burning into her chest. She screams bloody murder like she never has done before, her throat goes raw from the strain. Without a doubt, she wants to die right now. All the young doctor wants is for her pain to end. She manages to blearily open her eyes to see a blurry Superman targeting his laser vision on her chest. Roxanne begs him, “please”. Clark steels his resolve and ignores her pleas. He is determined to finish the ritual which will save her from Zod’s heinous plans. 

Bonding himself to her is the only way to save her. He just hopes in time and after she heals, that she’ll see it that way eventually. Clark finally finishes with engraving his family seal on her chest and the ritual is completed. The marks on her body glow gold again and his seal and bite mark glow gold in response. They are bonded forever.

Clark immediately begins to feel Roxanne’s tumultuous emotions. What he could make out of it is anger, betrayal, and most of all hate. He tries to produce some calming emotions towards her through their link but is met with an unyielding wall. ‘Even now she still resists’ the superhero thinks to himself slightly impressed. But he reassures himself that their bond is complete and that he is connected to her. Her head is slumped against his bicep but he gently grabs her chin with his fingers to see her face and assess her pain level. He is met with the sight of tears sliding down her face and the salt stinging the open wound on her neck. Roxanne raises her tired jade eyes to look at him with such hatred and pain that a chill races down his spine. Through her pain, she manages to open her mouth, “Some hero you turned out to be…” she hatefully whispers. 

After saying those biting words, she faints into his waiting arms. Once she fell unconscious, he takes action and breaks the chains from her wrists and ankles, wincing at the new bruising pattern encircling her limbs. Next, Clark tenderly wipes the tear tracks off from her face and moves her brown hair away from her shoulder. He gazes at the marks that now tie him forever to this woman. Strangely, he only regrets the pain he caused. He lifts his mate bridal style into his arms being mindful of her neck and chest injuries. His red cape trails behind him as flies them out of the ship and towards Earth, their home. And, for some reason, he doesn’t regret their bonding. Clark knows he saved her from being Zod’s puppet, but at what cost.


End file.
